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These comments about TD are getting me hyped! I wasn't even worried about replacing Jeff because I knew from what I saw last year with another year of training he can be nasty!!!! Called the "best buck ever coached" by Steele and now "strongest I've seen" by Derrick.

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The fact that several freshmen are said to get a shot first game and not just on special teams is getting me hype. I know they haven't even been in pads yet but the talk of their leadership, maturity, confidence, preparation, and overall talent is great.

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-- On Nate Craig-Myers putting it all together: "I really think it's a matter of giving him some more opportunities." They've done that so far through three practices.

-- JaTarvious Whitlow has caught Malzahn's eye early on, and he's playing with urgency on the field.

-- "You got to run the football.... but you got to protect, you got to know your checkdowns. There's a lot of other things that it takes to play running back at this level." Whitlow has gotten better in those latter areas.

-- Malzahn says they "really think" Noah Igbinoghene can take the next step on kickoff returns.

-- If Ryan Davis is Auburn's best punt returner, Malzahn said they'll give him a little bit of a break on offense this season.

-- Kam Martin "has gotten bigger" and is capable of cutting down linebackers in pass protection. "We have confidence in Kam" that he'll be able to run the entire offense this year.

-- Freshmen Matthew Hill, Anthony Schwartz and Shaun Shivers have all stood out early on offensively. Defensively, Richard Jibunor has caught Malzahn's eye.

Sounds like they've been working hard on his technique in pass pro. What I took from Gus' statement on Kam was 1) that he's gotten bigger - which will make him a better matchup in pass pro situations than he was last season, and 2) they feel like he's improved on technique where he may be significantly outmatched on size, a la Clemson last season.

On all accounts that's good news and covers the concerns voiced in the off season. Hopefully Whitlow can get catch up in those areas he is lacking in. Would love to have a healthy rotation out there, unlike what we saw last year. We certainly have a diversity of skillsets in the RB group.